Amid Strained US Ties, China Finds Unlikely Friend in Utah

Amid Strained US Ties, China Finds Unlikely Friend in Utah
Taowen Le, a Weber State University professor of information systems and technologies, speaks during an interview at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, on Oct. 11, 2022. Rick Bowmer/AP Photo
The Associated Press
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SALT LAKE CITY—China’s global campaign to win friends and influence policy has blossomed in a surprising place: Utah, a deeply religious and conservative state with few obvious ties to the world’s most powerful communist country.

An investigation by The Associated Press has found that China and its U.S.-based advocates spent years building relationships with the state’s officials and lawmakers. Those efforts have paid dividends at home and abroad, the AP found: Lawmakers delayed legislation Beijing didn’t like, nixed resolutions that conveyed displeasure with its actions and expressed support in ways that enhanced the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) image.